The War Had Taken Its Toll
by Disney Syndulla
Summary: Hera was seven when the war started...she was nine when the Jedi came...she was eighteen when she saw him.


**Someone stop me, please.**

* * *

Hera was seven when the war started.

At the time, she had no idea what it had meant, what impact it truly had. Her mother had only described it as a big fight between good and bad, but that didn't clear away all her questions. What was happening to Ryloth? Why did they have to hide? Were they on the good side?

It was only years later did Hera realize that there weren't nessicarily sides of the war, they weren't truly on the "good" side. It was impossible for a little girl to grapple that idea, and Hera still fought with that concept, even as an adult.

* * *

Hera was eight when the droids came.

She had been scavenging for fire-wood, when a ginormous shadow fell over the valley. The little Twi'lek looked up and saw the biggest -and first- ship she had ever seen. Smaller ships shot out from it's sides, and crashed into the rocky surface below. Hera had started to go after one, when her father's hand wrapped itself around her tiny arm and pulled her close to him. "Go back inside," he murmured. She started protesting, but soon quieted once he snapped back. "I said _go inside, Hera_!"

Hera flinched. That was the first time in her memory her father had raised his voice at her. She meekly scurried back to the underground cave their clan was hiding in.

Things were about to get worse on Ryloth.

* * *

Hera was nine when the Jedi came.

She remembered how relieved her mother had sounded when they heard the news. "Things are finally turning around!" She had proclaimed, pulling her daughter into a warm embrace. Hera was less enthusiastic. She knew who the Jedi were and what they did, so if they were coming to Ryloth, then things must have been bad. Worse than her parents were letting her know.

One thing she liked to do though, was watch when the ships came. She would sneak above ground and watch the Republic fighter fly ahead. Hera had decided, she wanted to be a pilot. She wanted to be up there, soaring in the clouds and flying with the birds. To have a ship of her own and a crew to command. Yes, she wanted to be up _there_.

* * *

Hera was ten when the war was over.

But things hardly improved.

It seemed more and more smuggler and slaver ships were coming to Ryloth, and more and more Twi'leks were vanishing. Her mother was as persistent as ever keeping her hidden, but Hera was determined to see those ships fly and by the gods she would see those ships.

Her father spent less and less time away from their family and more time fighting than ever before. Hera had once asked him if he was helping the Republic, and he had merely said, "There is no Republic...only the Empire."

* * *

Hera was eleven when her mother died.

She had never seen it coming, the day had started like any other. Her mother woke her up, got her breakfast, reminded Hera how much she loved her, and went out to fight the Empire with Hera's father. They returned long after nightfall, but something was different. Twi'lek men were carrying something wrapped in a brown cloth. Her father seemed different.

Were those... _tears_ in his eyes?

The reality snuck in, and Hera ran from the scene, fresh tears streaming down her face and sobs racking her thin body. No one followed her.

She found herself outside, kicking rocks and trees out of frustration, screaming and crying into the night air, making her anger and sadness known to the galaxy. She sat down on the hard ground, rubbing her puffy eyes and wiping her runny nose. The Empire...

The Empire did this. They killed her mother.

That day, Hera swore she would do everything within her power to stop the Empire's reign.

* * *

Hera was twelve when she found it.

She had been out by herself again. Her father warned her not to leave the hideout -it was "too dangerous"- but Hera had the gut-wrenching feeling he didn't care. So there she was, walking through one of Ryloth's many mountain ranges, when a loud BANG started her so much, her Lekku twitched. She turned to see the cause of the noise, and saw a one-man fighter falling to the ground in a fiery ball of crumpled durasteel. It crashed into a mountain side, and slid down into the valley. Hera stared for a moment, before bolting after it.

When she got to the ship, it looked terrible. No one could have survived it. Just as she was turning away, she heard a noise. It sounded like...a droid?

Yes. A small, orange, flat-domed droid head stuck out of a wing, warbling and grumbling. When it's sensors detected Hera, it seemed to jump exitedly, then twitched while sparks shot out from the side of it's dome.

Okay...how could she do this? How could she get a broken droid out of a burning ship? She had to, somehow. Her father could use a droid for the Resistance...no. She wasn't doing this for her father. She was doing this for herself. Hera was lonely, and desperate for a friend. The other Twi'lek children avoided her and talked about her behind her back. Her father was busy all the time, barely giving her any attention at all. Hera wanted someone to talk to, to play with. She wanted a friend.

So that's why she risked burning her hands and arms to save a broken droid, who would then talkback to her, try and shock her, and be an all-around grump.

Hers couldn't love him more.

* * *

Hera was thirteen when she left.

She'd had _enough_ of her father. She'd had _enough_ of the fighting on Ryloth. She'd had _enough_ of everyone trying to push her to be something she didn't want to be.

She snuck out with her droid, C1-10P, whom she dubbed, "Chopper" and stole a ship. They made a break for it at dawn, never looking back.

* * *

Hera was eighteen when she saw him.

She had been on Gorse, another assignment from Fulcrum, when she saw a dark-haired, pony-tailed, bumbling idiot in a street fight. He was outnumbered, he looked like a drunk...how could she not help him?

She ran into him a few times after that, they wound up stopping Count Vidian, and he joined her crew. It was a pitiful crew, just her and Chopper, but a crew nonetheless. He needed somewhere to go, his friend had died and he had no one.

Maybe he was a Jedi, maybe he wasn't. That was a question for another day. But when she looked into his eyes, she could see. Just like it had for her...

The war had taken it's toll.

* * *

 **Feels like a crappy ending but eh. Putting this up anyway.**

 **Also image manager won't let me upload any pictures, is anyone else having that problem?**


End file.
